


Family Movie Night

by mamabug



Series: Life After Ouran [1]
Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Complete, F/M, Long-Term Relationship(s), Married Couple, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 20:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7816894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mamabug/pseuds/mamabug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A married Haruhi and Tamaki watch a movie (kinda) and reflect on the milestones of their relationship. Rated T because, well, they're married. No lemons, or limes. Maybe a kiwi?  Short two-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tamaki

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as part of a backstory for another fanfiction, but I liked it and decided to pad it out, clean it up, and post-it as a two-shot. Also posted on FF.net. It's only implied in the text, but this takes place about 10 years after the end of the Manga. Tamaki is about 28 and Haruhi 27.
> 
> Present day is in normal text, flashbacks in italics.
> 
> Obligatory Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the contents of my head and maybe the bowl of popcorn.

Tamaki flopped down on the sofa, giant bowl of freshly made popcorn in his hand. "Har-u-hi," he lilted in a sing-song voice, "Put down the papers, its family movie night. Look – I made commoner popcorn all by myself!" He shoved the bowl under her nose and wiggled it back and forth.

Haruhi's nose wrinkled at the assault of burnt corn kernels and she rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can tell." She pushed the bowl away, put the file she was reading down in her lap and looked up at him over the glasses perched on her nose. "Tamaki, I'm sorry but I have to finish going through everything the prosecutor provided and figure out what he's withholding before tomorrow."

"But you've had to work the last two times we both had a night off too," he pouted, laying his head on her shoulder, "You said we could cuddle." His fingers stroked up and down her bare arm.

"I know I did," she replied, shrugging him off, "but that pompous ass sent over everything right at 4:30 today." She picked the file up and resumed reading through it carefully, line by line, and muttering, "He's hiding something that will exonerate my client. I just know it."

How could he resist her when she was busy saving the world? She was just too damn adorable. Her 'time-to-focus' pony-tail bobbed slightly in time with the nods or head shakes she gave as she read through the documents and with every furrow of her brow and angry mutter the glasses perched on her nose slid down just a little more. Whenever she wore them, it reminded him of the day they'd met.

Twelve years together come April. Such a long time, and so many changes. For both of them. Nobody would mistake her for a boy now; her baby doll t-shirt and striped cotton pajama shorts hugged the curves which had filled in as she matured, but some things could never change.

~oOoOo~

_The eyes pulled him in from the minute they peered around the door. Clear, direct, containing a hint of trepidation but none of the calculation he was so used to seeing in the eyes of everyone he'd met since coming to this new not-quite-home. These eyes weren't trying to use him or gain advantage over him. They pierced directly to his soul._

_Someone in_ this _school with eyes like_ that _? They were someone worth getting to know._

_The rest of the boy? Mon Dieu! Baggy non-uniform clothes, choppy hair, glasses with frames so big and heavy they kept sliding down his nose – everything about him screamed 'pick on me.' The kid desperately needed polish or the sharks that attended here would eat him alive. Oh! What a wonderful idea! Fujioka would be the Host Club's next project! Who better to mentor him, mold him into a gentleman and teach him how to charm the women who were the real gatekeepers to high society?_

_The boy made a desperate break for the door, but Tamaki grabbed him before he could escape. Whirling him around, overwhelming him with a cavalcade of words and introductions, he stalled for time. Kyoya always knew what Tamaki wanted, the Shadow King would figure out a way to keep their new pet from leaving. The rest of the club played along with this new game, but then the young man solved the problem himself with a stumble._

_The Host Club's king forced himself to look serious as the vase crashed to the floor – Fujioka didn't realize it yet, but one day he'd look back on this instant as the luckiest moment of his life._

~oOoOo~

"Alright, we can do it another night. I know how much this case means to you," he said with a resigned shrug.

"I want to, Tamaki, really but – it's just that I don't often get clients who are truly innocent. The man got drunk and accidently wandered into a neighbor's apartment; it should have been an open-and-shut case of drunk and disorderly with probation. The only reason he's being tried for breaking and entering is because he's Filipino and the lead prosecutor's uncle has made anti-immigration into his political platform." She went back to making notes in the file, muttering under her breath. "Damn rich bastards, they shouldn't be able to play around with people's lives like that!"

"They won't with you to stop them." Tamaki pushed the case file down and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll go find something else to do, my fierce little defender of justice."

Her hand snaked out to grab his t-shirt as he stood to leave. "You don't have to go; I can concentrate while you watch something you like."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be the reason you don't do your best."

"I'm sure, just sit down already," she said and returned to her files.

~oOoOo~

" _Har-u-hi, I'm home!" he shouted tripping through the door of their new apartment. "I brought dinner and then maybe we can watch that new police procedural you recorded." He held up two bags of food from the Thai restaurant he'd just discovered._

" _Welcome back," she replied by rote from her nest on the sofa surrounded by a mound of paperwork. "Um, I already ate Tamaki and I have too much work for TV tonight."_

" _But I got your favorite," he sang, skipping over to wriggle the box of crispy garlic prawns under her nose._

_Her eyes closed as she inhaled the scent, her will starting to weaken. She shook her head and firmly pushed the box away. "I'm sorry, Tamaki, but I told you when I agreed to move in with you that we couldn't treat every night like date night."_

_He retreated to the kitchen in silence, fixing two plates and setting them on the table before venturing back into the lioness's den. He gingerly moved heavy law books from the seat next to her and pulled the papers out of her hand. Sitting down, he angled his body so he could reach his left arm across her body and tilt her chin up towards him with his right hand. Her gorgeous eyes registered confusion with a touch of annoyance. He couldn't resist a quick peck on her delectable lips._

" _It's not a date night. If you have too much work for TV that's okay, I'll pull out some files I need to review and we can both get some work done." She looked at him skeptically and he smiled at her consternation. "This is exactly what I wanted, Haruhi, just to be by your side on an average day."_

_He could see the will to fight go out of her and her shoulders relax. "I suppose, if you have work to do too…." She trailed off right when her stomach gave a giant growl._

" _C'mon princess," he laughed, "a few bites of onigiri aren't a good dinner. You need fuel if you're going to impress the hell out of your mentor tomorrow."_

_Afterwards, he cleaned up the dishes and put away the food while she resumed her studies, this time leaving the seat next to her open. When he settled down and began reading through his staff's plans for a spectacular children's day party Haruhi turned around, leaning her back up against his arm, and muttered about precedents she needed to research. Smiling, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head; even a night working at home was perfect when she was there beside him._

~oOoOo~

He kicked back, put his feet up on the coffee table, picked up the remote and scrolled through the list of downloads until he found one he hadn't seen in awhile and pressed play. True to her word, Haruhi focused fully on the file in front of her without any hint of interest in the film.

He tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth and nearly chocked. Ack! It tasted like smoke flavored cardboard! Gagging, he put the bowl on the end table to the left of him. "I keep telling you that you can't go by the time on the bag, you need to listen for the popping to slow down," Haruhi said wryly without looking up from her work.

"Gah!" he uttered, wiping his tongue with a handkerchief, "I can't believe commoners have to suffer so! How can anyone think this foul, tasteless dreck is anything like the delightfully fluffy, buttery ambrosia that is real popcorn…"

"Tamaki," she interjected with a chuckle, "Shut up or go away."

"'Oui, ma belle femme," he replied, savoring the way the words felt on his tongue.

~oOoOo~

" _Sit down, Tamaki, I want to tell you something."_

_He cautiously took a seat across the dining table from her, mentally reviewing for anything he'd done in the last month that might have upset her. Well, that she knew about. She looked so serious, not her usual angry Tanuki face, and it made his heart beat faster with fear. This was something big._

_His eyes focused on the way she twisted her engagement ring round and round, occasionally sliding it slowly up her finger until it almost came off. Panic began settling in. 'This is it, she's finally had enough. She's finally decided that she can't take everything that comes with being married to a Suoh.'_

_He'd been expecting it for years; every time she found one more reason to wait he'd known it to be a step towards the inevitable. His breath grew shallow and he made plans. He would throw himself at her feet and hold on until she stayed. He would kidnap her away to a deserted island until she changed her mind. He would…_

_He would let her have her freedom and curl up in a ball on the floor until the pain went away._

" _I… I'm tired of waiting too. I think it's time," she said softly._

_Lost in nightmares of their impending break-up, he stared blankly at the center of the table._

" _Um… Tamaki? Did you hear me? I said I'm ready. If you still want we can get marr…"_

_He'd launched himself from his chair the minute the words sank in and wrapped his arms around her waist, head in her lap. "Really? Oh, thank God! I thought you were going to break up with me!"_

_Haruhi tangled her hands in his hair and laughed, "You get the silliest ideas, sometimes. Why would I want to break up with you? Idiot. I love you."_

" _I love you more." He rose up, dragging her up with him, and pulled her into his arms for a kiss. Without breaking it, his hands drifted down and he lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist._

" _When?" he asked in between kisses as he moved towards their bedroom._

" _As soon as you want. Just no bridal shower and don't make me plan anything."_

" _I will take care of everything mon coeur. I love you."_

" _I love you more."_

" _I love you so much I'll let you believe that."_

_%%%_

_She was still sleeping when he woke, curled up against his chest as he cuddled her in his arms. Carefully, he disentangled himself and checked the clock; it was only 1:43am, still early enough. He pulled on track pants and a t-shirt for warmth and moved to the living room to avoid waking her then hit the second flagged contact on his phone._

" _What?"_

" _Mommy, she finally agreed!"_

" _Can I assume you mean our daughter agreed to set a date?" Kyoya's voice warmed up minutely, "Congratulations. Now, I have a business meeting with New York in fifteen minutes, so if that's all…"_

" _Kyoya, you have to help me! How fast can we plan a wedding?"_

" _Tamaki, I don't have time for this. I'm in – oh God, where am I this week? Sapporo, that's it. No offense but your hotels all look the same after awhile."_

" _Ooooh – custom décor to match location. That's a great idea!" Tamaki replied, easily distracted by a shiny new idea. He gave himself a mental shake and refocused on the topic at hand. "Please, I need to make sure it happens before she changes her mind."_

" _This is Haruhi, she doesn't change her mind once it's made up."_

" _Please? I've waited so long, I can't handle any more delays," his voice was so soft it could barely be heard._

" _Do you have any idea how much work this will be? You're President of Suoh Enterprises, you can't invite anything less than three hundred people." Kyoya sighed, "Fine, I'll do it. But it will have to be basic – no hair brained ideas."_

" _Yay! Thank you mon frère. I promise nothing to elaborate. We should do everything in red and white! No, black and white! Wait – what do you think of purple and gold? And then we'll have rose covered archways, and we could make the entire room look like the middle of an enchanted forest, and cannons will shoot out millions of rose petals over the guests when we share our first kiss, and…"_

" _That's enough, dumbass. Roses, yes. Forest, maybe. Cannon, absolutely not. Colors will be white and cream with a touch of peach and I need your entire event planning staff at my disposal to make arrangements in time."_

" _Anything you want. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Go have your meeting; I'll email with some more ideas in the morning."_

" _Tamak…" Kyoya's outraged reply was cutoff when Tamaki hung up the phone._

_Two weeks later they were married in front of four hundred witnesses and one very tired best man. Cannons shot thousands of blue and silver rose petals over the guests when the couple shared their first kiss._

~oOoOo~

Stubbornness. That was another thing that hadn't changed. Always so determined to accomplish things on her own. He'd give her anything she asked for, but she only accepted what he considered the bare minimum – his name, his love, his complete and utter devotion.

She could have her own law firm if she wanted, or live in the lap of luxury and never lift a finger, yet here she was working herself to the bone all to prevent a man from going to jail unjustly.

He smiled, there were some gifts he could give that she wouldn't refuse. He grabbed one of the throw pillows and dropped it on his lap. He reached over and pulled on her leg. "C'mere, my princess," he said, urging her to turn around and drop her feet on the pillow.

"Tamaki, what are you doing," she asked warily.

"Just helping ease some of your tension," he said while pulling off the fuzzy socks she bought in bulk from some cheap department store, "If it distracts you I'll stop." She shrugged and settled against the sofa arm. The action on the screen was picking up so he let himself become involved in the drama while giving the love of his life a much-too-platonic foot-rub.

She never believed him when he said he fell in love at first sight. How could he have, when he'd been the last to realize she was a girl? Even then he knew it hadn't mattered. Boy or girl, his destiny was sealed the minute he fell into those big, brown eyes.


	2. Haruhi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not-to-descriptive intimacy towards the end. You have been warned.

Haruhi closed the folder, put it aside on the coffee table, and stretched to relieve the tension in the center of her upper back. The movie looked to be only half way done; she'd finished much faster than she thought. She'd found what she was looking for buried in an addendum – a witness statement the prosecutor hadn't handed over that would back up her client's version of events.

Tamaki was completely absorbed in his show; for the last thirty minutes he'd only occasionally given her feet a squeeze, as if to remind himself that she was still there. Why did he always pick a spaghetti western when given the option? She'd never quite gotten the appeal, too much random violence and not-so-thinly-veiled racism and misogyny for her taste. It was one of the few things that made her question whether there really were some things defined by gender; every one of the ex-Host Club loved the damn things, even Honey.

"Tamaki, I finished."

"Hmm, oh that's good," he said distractedly and gave her foot another squeeze.

Seriously? Not too long ago he would have pounced on her the minute the folder had hit the coffee table. Maybe married life really was the end of desire as her single friends from work had joked during her surprise after-the-fact bridal shower. But, Geez! Wasn't that supposed to happen later? It hadn't even been six months; they were still supposed to be in the passionate newlywed phase. Then again, they had been together for almost eleven years.

~oOoOo~

_Tamaki cowered behind her, face buried in the back of her neck, as the girl crawled out of the well. He was such a wimp when it came to horror. There was a legal drama she really wanted to watch which would have bored him to tears, but he had needed a more suitable punishment._

" _Please, Haruhi! Please turn it off!" He shuddered against her back, arms so tight around her they cut-off her ability to breathe._

" _My choice this week, remember Tamaki-sempai? You said_ any _movie I wanted."_

" _Please. I can't take anymore. Please make it stop. She's so scary," he whimpered._

" _Not as scary as what you made_ me _watch. Two rape scenes, sempai. Two!"_

" _I'm sorry for making you watch High Plains Drifter. I will never ask you to watch a spaghetti western again," he vowed._

" _Well, if you're truly sorry…"_

" _I am! I am!" He looked up temporarily to catch her eyes, then ducked back behind her frightened as the creature on the screen started crawling out of the virtual television._

" _Alright then," she smirked and picked up the remote to turn off the movie. She'd do a full 'The Ring' vs. 'Ringu' movie fest with Hikaru and Kaoru later. Apparently there was a drinking game._

_Tamaki was still shivering against her back. Dating him had been different from what she'd expected. For someone so prone to daydreams and elaborate spectacles, it was the simple dates he loved most. Homemade dinner and a DVD, a walk along the Charles River, hunts for interesting 'American commoner' knick-knacks at Faneuil Hall Marketplace…_

_But, Boston was simply a hiatus from their real lives. In a month they'd return and he'd go back to being a Suoh and she to being a commoner. He'd be at Ouran University studying business, working more closely with his father, and trying to live up to all the expectations of his family while she'd be completing her final year of high school and trying to win a scholarship for law school. He would be pressured to marry an appropriate woman and she'd…._

_She shied away from completing the thought._

_He'd given her so much this past year. Not the material things he kept trying to shower on her but things with real consequence – love, support, and all the fun and experiences missing from her narrow study-a-holic lifestyle. Whatever happened to them in the future, she wanted to have no regrets about what they had now._

" _Was it really that scary, Tamaki-sempai," she said turning in his arms so she knelt to face him._

_He looked at her, shell-shocked. "Terrifying!" His eyes grew darker, his moods could shift so quickly, and he stroked a hand against the side of her face. "I think I need to hold you for a long time until I feel better."_

_Haruhi leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "Maybe you do, Tamaki," she said. She placed one hand on his shoulder and let the other trail down his chest to the hem of his shirt. He grabbed her hand when her fingertips brushed his skin._

" _Haruhi, stop. I'm already on edge, if you do that I might not be able to control myself tonight."_

_She pulled back and looked into his beautiful violet eyes. "Did I say I wanted you to?" she asked. Her boldness suffused her cheeks with heat._

_Tamaki's eyes grew wide and he swallowed hard. "R..Really? I mean, you are saying what I think you are, right?"_

_She giggled at his flustered response. "Yes, you idiot. I want to have sex with you." She laughed when his face turned as red as hers. She loved these small reminders that he was as much a novice at this as her. Later, she laughter even harder when Tamaki suddenly threw his clothes back on and bolted out of her bedroom to run back to his apartment for something he'd forgot._

_It was tentative, awkward, and a bit embarrassing - research and good intentions can only take you so far - but it was perfect all the same. Even if things ended when they returned home, she knew she would have no regrets._

~oOoOo~

Haruhi pulled her feet off the pillow and tucked them under her, curling up against his shoulder and taking his hand in hers. He smiled and dropped a kiss on her forehead then returned to his film. She'd let him watch in peace; it was her fault movie night was cancelled for the third time in a row. He should have the chance to enjoy watching something he'd never pick if he'd known she'd be watching it with him.

She lightly trailed her fingers up and down his forearm, loving the feel of his muscles underneath her hand. It wasn't fair how men got even more attractive as they aged. That last growth spurt after high school had filled him out and transitioned his features from _bishounen_ to _ikemen_. It didn't diminish his appeal to women in the least and he exerted his charm shamelessly on every female he came in contact with from infant to grandmother.

His flirting never bothered her, why should it? Only people who didn't know him would ever think he'd act on it. Tamaki's flirting, his flightiness and seeming immaturity, his definite narcissism – all various guesses people had made as to what might someday cause the end of their relationship. Nobody had ever suggested the one thing that nearly brought it all crashing down.

~oOoOo~

" _What's this?" She stared with foreboding at the shiny key Tamaki had dropped on her table._

" _A present for passing the bar exam!" He stood in her small living room, excitement vibrating through his body like a kid on Christmas day. Whatever it was, it was big and it came with the sinking feeling she always got when he was trying to force her life to conform to his expectations._

" _Tamaki, what did you do?" She wouldn't yell. Not yet. Not until she knew just how bad it was._

" _Noth-thing," he said while poking his index fingers against each other. "You said you'd move in with me after you passed the bar so I got us an apartment?" His voice rose, turning his statement into a question._

_Her eyes narrowed, "I said I'd_ think _about it after passing the bar. The whole bar exam. I still have the second half to go." She closed her eyes, perhaps it would be okay. "Just where is this apartment?"_

" _Suoh Towers," he mumbled as if the most high-rent building in one of the world's most high-rent cities was of barely any consequence._

" _Tamaki! You know I can't afford half the rent on a place like that!" she yelped. He was doing it again, letting his visions of happy-ever-after sweep her objections aside like a tidal wave. He always did this – plowed ahead making arrangements without talking to her._

" _But you don't have to," he said bouncing up and down like a puppy. "That's the best part! Dad made me head of the new event planning division I proposed and the apartment is part of my benefits."_

" _That's the same thing as you paying for it," she ground out. Why didn't the wealthy ever understand how good it felt to make your own way in the world? How necessary it was to your sense of self-worth? The all-too-easy way he dealt with what to her were unobtainable luxuries pressed down on her with suffocating weight. "You are always going and deciding things like this on your own. What were you thinking?"_

_His expression went hard, almost unreadable. "I was_ thinking _I could share a place with my_ fiancée _who_ still _won't set a date after_ two years _!"_

_This old argument. She couldn't quite keep the exasperation out of her voice. "I told you. We can get married after I'm a fully qualified lawyer."_

" _Really, are you sure? Because first it was finishing college, then the bar, now the internship - what will it be next? I've accepted that you aren't ready, but why are you kicking up a fuss about moving in together? It's what normal couples do!"_

" _Normal couples don't live in Suoh Towers!"_

" _Haruhi, you know I'd live in a place like this if I could but our security won't allow it," he said patronizingly, like talking to a child. "If it makes you feel better you can pay me rent."_

" _Like I wouldn't find you spending it on me or squirreling it away in some bank account." She knew he would, he was always undermining her attempts at self-sufficiency. "You never take what I want into consideration."_

" _ALL I DO IS TAKE YOUR WANTS INTO CONSIDERATION!" Tamaki grabbed her by her arms. He looked like he wanted to shake her, but instead he dropped his hands and ran them through his hair. "God, Haruhi, why is everything so difficult with you. I'm sorry I'm rich. I'm sorry that I actually like the work I'm doing and won't walk away from my family to live in some hovel. I_ thought _I was compromising by getting the apartment and not asking you to move into the mansion but obviously I didn't take your obsessive need to do everything on your own into account."_

" _Well, I'm sorry that you find it so God damn difficult to be with me. I'm sure there are plenty of girls who would leap at the chance to live off you and do nothing more than be an accessory on your arm for the rest of their lives."_

" _If that's what you think I want then maybe I should go find one."_

" _If all you think I want is a sugar daddy to take care of me than maybe you should."_

_They stood facing each other, fear and stubbornness refusing to let her take the words back. Tamaki turned and barely paused to slip his shoes on before exiting. The door swung behind him with a solid, final, bang._

_Haruhi sank to her knees. What the hell had she done? All she ever wanted from him was his love, why did things have to become so complicated? Why couldn't he come without all the strings of family, and money, and power? Why could they never just be a man and a woman who loved each other?_

_She pulled off her engagement ring and sat it on the table next to the shiny key that opened the door to a cage. Lying down, she pulled one of the floor pillows to her chest and curled up in a ball. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at the future symbolized by the two objects before her. It was all or nothing, she couldn't have him without the things that came with him. Hours passed until she fell into a fitful sleep, still torn between love and independence._

_%%%_

_A knock on the door woke her up. Outside, she could hear torrential rain cascading against the windows. She chocked back a sob as she realized that tonight might be the first in years that she'd have to face the thunder alone. Heading towards the door, she wiped away the remains of dried tears from her cheek to avoid unwanted questions._

" _Dad, did you forget your key again?" she asked, yanking open the door without checking. Tamaki stood on her doorstep, wet hair plastered to his head and streaming rivulets down the back of his unbuttoned trench coat. Haruhi stepped back and he walked inside just enough to shut the door behind him before dropping to his knees and grabbing her to him. His face was like a block of ice against her abdomen and soon her jeans were as wet as the front of his shirt._

" _Haruhi, please," he pleaded with a voice barely above a whisper. "I love you and I love that you don't look at me and see only my family. I never want to make you feel like being with me makes you somehow less than the amazing woman you are. I can't change the family I was born into, I can't be a simple salary man or graduate student, but I also can't live without you any longer._

_I know you don't want to get married, yet. But please – I can't take this anymore. With my promotion and you're internship we're both going to be so busy and a night here or there just isn't enough. I want to wake up with you in the morning, fight over what show to watch on TV, come home at the end of my day and know you'll be waiting for me or have you come home to find me waiting for you._

_Please, Haruhi, please say you'll live with me. I'll do whatever you need me to do so it doesn't feel like you are taking something from me." His voice caught as he begged her to not throw away everything they had and everything they could be._

_A ragged sob tore from her throat and she leaned over to wrap his head in her arms and cover it with her body. In the end, the decision was the simplest one to make. "Tamaki, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you think I felt that way being with you. I couldn't be who I am without you. If I can't have you without having your money then I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it."_

_Tamaki squeezed her tight and looked up at her hopefully. "It doesn't have to be Suoh Towers, I'm sure I can find a cheaper place somewhere that security would be okay with."_

_She placed two fingers against his lips. "Suoh Towers is fine. But – I get to pay for the food, and it won't be fancy, rich stuff either."_

_He smiled that beautiful smile. The one which still made her stomach flip and heart flutter like she was fifteen again. "I'll eat oni-giri every night if it means being with you." He stood then to embrace her and apologized when she shivered as her top was instantly soaked through._

" _C'mon why don't we get out of these wet things and I'll throw them in the dryer." She grabbed his hand tight and headed back towards the bedroom, but not before grabbing her ring to slip it firmly back on her finger._

~oOoOo~

Haruhi gave him a quick hug and moved to reach again for her file. It wouldn't hurt to go over it once more while she waited for the movie to end. Before she could move more than a centimeter, he turned and pulled her into his arms so she landed against his chest. "Don't run away, can't a man cuddle with his wife?" He kissed her head and anchored her firmly to his side.

~oOoOo~

_It would not be dignified for a junior member of the firm to leap into the air and punch at the sky, even when her first significant case as lead chair resulted in a declaration of not-guilty. She accepted grateful thanks from her client and shot a smug smile at the incompetent DA. Her client had been absolutely guilty. Had the idiot opposing counsel given her a reasonable plea deal she would have taken it, but the horrid little weasel had over-reached and chosen to go to trial on charges he couldn't, in the end, prove._

_Her steps faltered as she neared the courtroom exit, a familiar yet unexpected figure had taken a seat in the back row to the left of the door._

" _Congratulations on your victory, counselor," he drawled coming to his feet._

" _Kyoya, what brings you here?" She smiled, "Aren't you supposed to be in Thailand this week?"_

" _Malaysia, and I finished early."_

" _Still, we're pretty far from Ootori Group headquarters."_

" _Your client works for one of our subsidiaries; I came to observe the outcome."_

_Her face fell and the joy she'd felt at her victory turned sour in her stomach. "Do I have you to thank for getting the case?"_

" _Settle down, Haruhi. Your firm is one of many we recommend to our employees if they need assistance. I didn't even know about the case or your involvement until it crossed my desk this morning as 'news to be aware of.' I assure you the partners assigned you this case entirely on your own considerable merits."_

_She looked at him sheepishly, ashamed to have jumped to an unwarranted conclusion. "Sorry, force of habit."_

" _I'm a bit too busy to meddle in your life as much as I used to." He favored her with one of his rare, sincere smiles, a bare tug at the edges of his mouth. "Since I'm here, do you have time for a cup of tea or coffee before you head back? You can tell me all about how you plotted your victory."_

_Talking about a case with Kyoya was almost as enjoyable as talking with Mori. Both were able to ask insightful questions and knew enough about the law to appreciate the arguments and legal trickeries she used. When they'd finished exhausting the topic of how she beat the pants off the weasel, she settled back in her chair and went for cross-examination, "So tell me, why did you really show up in the courtroom?"_

_He nodded and took a sip of his tea, conceding her point. "I thought you might want a friend to celebrate your first big win with."_

_She didn't believe him for a minute, but having someone to crow about the victory did make it sweeter. "I guess I did, thank you Kyoya."_

" _My pleasure." He set his tea down gently in front of him. The light glinted off his glasses, hiding his eyes. "So, is it enough?"_

" _Excuse me?"_

" _Your victory today, is it finally enough for you to believe that what you've achieved is on your own efforts and not because of the Suoh name?"_

_She gave a resigned sigh; she should have known Kyoya had more than one reason for seeking her out. "Butt out, sempai. I don't see what business it is of yours."_

_He shrugged. "You're right. I only have to deal with the soggy mess that is Tamaki when he's slightly drunk and convinced you never mean to marry him at all. There's a lake starting to form in the middle of my living room."_

_Haruhi looked at him in surprise, "But, he's never said anything. Not for…"_

" _Not for at least a year? I know, he decided that continuing to pester you might only drive you away." Kyoya leaned forward, pushed his glasses up and fixed her with a gaze that gave no quarter and accepted no excuses. "He may have resigned himself to your stubbornness but you know what drives him more than anything else."_

" _He's really that bothered by it?"_

_Kyoya just continued his unrelenting stare._

" _I just don't see what difference it would make. We live together and do everything together as it is."_

" _So you're going with the 'just a piece of paper' argument? You disappoint me counselor. This is Tamaki we're talking about – old-fashionedly romantic, pure-hearted, hopelessly naïve Tamaki. Do you really think he's happy not being married to the woman he loves?"_

" _It_ is _just a piece of paper. Why does our relationship need to be defined according to others' expectations?"_

" _Because in the circles we run in, others' expectations have weight. You've been on the fringes of this world long enough to know that." Kyoya sighed and shook his head. "He won't pressure you; nothing will keep you from continuing on this path. But what of the future? Do you plan to deprive him of an heir? Force him to have children that bear the stigma of illegitimacy he did? You've never bowed to the opinions of others, but you aren't the type to be that selfishly cruel."_

_Haruhi had nothing to say in response. She'd thought they were content with the negotiated peace between them, but it had been an illusion. Kyoya's words drove home that more than anything else, Tamaki craved and valued family._

_His features softened as the distress showed on her face. "Haruhi, is it finally enough? If not, when will it be? You could win a hundred cases, make partner, even start your own firm but once you marry him you will never be free of the doubts that people look at you and only see a Suoh."_

_Haruhi stared at her hands as they twisted together on the table in front of her. He'd given voice to her secret fear, that no matter how accomplished she became it would never outweigh the Suoh name and the way people would treat her because of that. That she would never be sure that what she had was due to her own abilities and hard-work._

_Kyoya grabbed the bill, refusing to let her pay. "Adding that to my debt, sempai?" Her voice was hollow and devoid of humor._

_He smiled, "A gift, this time. Please think about what I said and put him out of his misery one way or the other. I don't relish having to pick up the pieces if you decide you can't marry him, but in the long run it would be kinder than letting his dreams die year by year."_

" _I... I'll think about it. You're right, I need to decide. I'm not sure if I'm ready just yet, but it will be soon."_

" _Good," he paused for a minute, weighing what he meant to say next carefully. "Just remember, nobody who really matters will think less of you no matter what you decide." With that parting shot, Kyoya went to the register to pay, leaving her to her thoughts._

_She thought about it all through the victory celebration her coworkers held and through the private one she and Tamaki had later. It occupied her every waking moment for a week but she couldn't come to a conclusion. Finally, she sought counsel from someone good at narrowing a question down to its most salient points._

" _Knowing someone loves us gives us strength," Mori replied. She'd laid out the situation for him while they cooled off from one of their thrice-weekly self-defense training sessions. "But when we really love someone else, it gives us the courage to do what we think we can't."_

_That night, she sat at their dining table waiting for him to come home. She stared at her engagement ring, twisting it on her finger. It was bigger than she wanted, but smaller than he'd tried to give her. Like everything else in their life, it was a compromise between two people with different backgrounds and viewpoints, but with similar wants and needs._

_He'd loved her enough to give her time; did she love him enough to overcome her fears?_

_The minute he stepped through the door she found it came easily. Life with Tamaki was always something she'd be willing to give up anything for._

" _Sit down, Tamaki, I want to tell you something."_

~oOoOo~

She snuggled up against him, tracing lazy circles over his heart with her right hand. Her fingers stilled when she thought of how close she'd come to losing this happiness out of pride and self-doubt. Tamaki caught them, bringing them up to his mouth for soft kisses on her fingertips.

"Have I been ignoring you, _mon petite chou?_ I must correct the situation," he said and licked delicately along her palm and up her fingers, slipping them in and out of his mouth one at a time. Ripples of desire trailed down her arm, along her torso, and curled to settle in the parts of her that had only ever belonged to her and him.

"You've been unforgivably negligent," she complained and drew herself up to kneeling, swinging her leg over his hips so she settled directly onto his lap. "Practically criminal."

"I throw myself on the mercy of the court."

He gasped as she went straight for his kill zone with soft nips along his sensitive ear. The sounds of soft murmurs and moans overlay the movie sound track as each of them competed to bring the other pleasure. After ten years there were few surprises, but somehow that made it all the sweeter.

Haruhi reached down to his waist and a shudder ran through him when she found her target. "Haruhi," he gasped, "We need to move to the bedroom or you need to let me go grab something from there first."

She smiled. Their whole life together he'd had to fight so hard to get her to accept anything from him, now she wanted to return all that love and devotion back to him with a gift only she could give. "No, she said. "You don't."

He reached his hands up to cup her face, searching within her eyes for any sign of hesitation or doubt. "Are you sure?" he asked incredulously.

Her smile broadened and she looped her arms around his neck. "Make a baby with me Tamaki." She laughed against his lips when he devoured hers in response.

"Alright," he agreed when he finally broke off the kiss, "but only if she has your eyes."


End file.
